Krystal Borjas
Kristal Borjas is a mixed media sculptor from Dallas, Texas. She is drawn to the world of woodworking and metalworking, of sparks and flames, of passion and injury. Growing up, her childhood was filled with running through her dad’s mechanic shop and adjoining junkyard, getting covered in rust and dirt while playing in her dad’s toolbox and scrap piles of wood and metal. His influence didn’t end there, he too was a sculptor and taught Borjas the fundamentals of sculpture, how to look, how to analyze, how to feel as the artist did.
She cultivated her interest in the three dimensional and graduated from Abilene Christian University in May 2018, earning a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a concentration in sculpture. After completing her degree, she chose to enter the funerary industry, where she further delved into the thoughts and emotions of the bereaved. She implements her findings and wonderings into her work. Choosing to explore the dichotomy of wood and metal which represent the tension between flesh and bone, malleable and rigid, natural and manmade, light and dark.
Artist Statement
For as long as I can remember I’ve known about death. The possibility of mortality, that of mine and other’s, was constantly talked about in my household. My mother with her numerous chronic illnesses wasn’t expected to survive the unpredictable nature of her health, or lack thereof. Due to this, I came to terms with my mortality and grew a sad relationship of sorts with death and loss, knowing that both were inevitable and to be expected at any time. That, coupled with my utter fascination with sculpture, led me to combine both concepts of fine art and loss. My work involves the analyzation of people’s reactions to the loss of someone or something- how they react, what emotions they feel, and how they live afterwards, dwelling in the darkness or flying into the light.
CV
Education
Abilene Christian University, BFA: Sculpture, 2018
Experience
Gallery Intern – Ro2 Art Gallery, Present
Cedars, Ro2 Pop Up, Dallas, Texas
Work collaboratively to create exhibitions with gallerists Susan and Jordan Roth, along with other gallery associates.
Manage and compose posts for several social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, artsy, etc.).
Write press releases with artists and their corresponding information (statements, bios, price listing).
Assist with installation and de-installation of exhibitions at various Ro2 Art locations.
Handle and hang artworks both two-dimensional and three-dimensional.
Assist with hosting opening receptions, artist talks, and exhibitions open for the public to engage directly with artists.
Studio Assistant – The Bonny Studio, 2017- present
The Encaustic Center, The Bonny Studio, Richardson, Texas
Currently serve as an on-call assistant and attendant for classes and workshops in both painting and encaustic for artist Bonny Leibowitz.
File and consolidate business/financial paperwork for The Bonny Studio, The Encaustic Center, and Bonny's personal art practice.
Organize and document inventory for all three businesses as well.
Help set up and clean the various studio spaces and materials for classes and workshops.
Intern – Dallas Art Fair, April 2019
Fashion Industry Gallery, Dallas, Texas
Assisted with organizing participating gallerists with their respective paperwork, booths, and artists.
Directed visitors and gallery associates around the Fair.
Welcomed photographers, collectors, and members of the press into the fair for an official press conference.
Served as an assistant to the visiting galleries for any issues that arose as well as any questions they had.
Sculpture Assistant – Abilene Christian University, 2015-2018
ACU’s Art & Design Department, Abilene, Texas
Served as a sculpture assistant for bronze Storybook Sculptures ordered by the city of Abilene, Texas, which has been recognized by Texas legislature as ‘The Storybook Capital of America’.
Collaborated directly on bronze castings with master metal-caster and ACU’s associate sculpture professor, Geoff Broderick.
Facilitated the casting process with the setting and cleaning up of sculpture materials and processes.
ShapeAided in the chemical coloring process of patina and transported the sculptures through work areas.
Professional Development
Sculptor – Sloss Furnaces, 2017
National Conference on Cast Iron Art and Practices, Birmingham, Alabama
Represented ACU's sculpture department, as a participating sculptor, amongst hundreds of colleges/universities that came out to the conference.
Collaborated with Baylor and UT Corpus Christi to assemble the iron furnace and prepare the necessary materials for the iron pouring process.
Provided direct assistance throughout the iron pour and ensured the cleanup of all related materials.
Sculptor – Narrow Gate Foundation, 2015
Steel Forging Workshop, Franklin, Tennessee
Aided ACU's sculpture department with the bronze pouring process.
Fabricated a sculpture using steel forging and bronze casting.
Familiarized fellow students with wax molding, ceramic shell molds, and the chasing/forging of steel and bronze.
Creative Director's Assistant – Momentis International, 2015
Plano, Texas
Aided with the composition and design of images and vector icons using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Compiled and presented source materials for company's branding, web, mobile and print presence.
ShapeContributed to and wrote copy-write materials for websites and promotional campaigns.
Exhibitions
2018
Young, Done & Baroque, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
Intercollegiate Student Art Competition, Center for Contemporary Art, Abilene, TX
2017
Student Art Exhibition, The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
Intercollegiate Student Art Competition, Center for Contemporary Art, Abilene, TX
2016
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
Intercollegiate Student Art Competition, Center for Contemporary Art, Abilene, TX
2015
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
2013
Collin County Student Art Show, Collin County Courthouse, Plano, TX
Allen ISD Art Exhibition, Allen High School’s Gallery, Allen, TX
Kristal Borjas is a mixed media sculptor from Dallas, Texas. She is drawn to the world of woodworking and metalworking, of sparks and flames, of passion and injury. Growing up, her childhood was filled with running through her dad’s mechanic shop and adjoining junkyard, getting covered in rust and dirt while playing in her dad’s toolbox and scrap piles of wood and metal. His influence didn’t end there, he too was a sculptor and taught Borjas the fundamentals of sculpture, how to look, how to analyze, how to feel as the artist did.
She cultivated her interest in the three dimensional and graduated from Abilene Christian University in May 2018, earning a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a concentration in sculpture. After completing her degree, she chose to enter the funerary industry, where she further delved into the thoughts and emotions of the bereaved. She implements her findings and wonderings into her work. Choosing to explore the dichotomy of wood and metal which represent the tension between flesh and bone, malleable and rigid, natural and manmade, light and dark.
Artist Statement
For as long as I can remember I’ve known about death. The possibility of mortality, that of mine and other’s, was constantly talked about in my household. My mother with her numerous chronic illnesses wasn’t expected to survive the unpredictable nature of her health, or lack thereof. Due to this, I came to terms with my mortality and grew a sad relationship of sorts with death and loss, knowing that both were inevitable and to be expected at any time. That, coupled with my utter fascination with sculpture, led me to combine both concepts of fine art and loss. My work involves the analyzation of people’s reactions to the loss of someone or something- how they react, what emotions they feel, and how they live afterwards, dwelling in the darkness or flying into the light.
CV
Education
Abilene Christian University, BFA: Sculpture, 2018
Experience
Gallery Intern – Ro2 Art Gallery, Present
Cedars, Ro2 Pop Up, Dallas, Texas
Work collaboratively to create exhibitions with gallerists Susan and Jordan Roth, along with other gallery associates.
Manage and compose posts for several social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, artsy, etc.).
Write press releases with artists and their corresponding information (statements, bios, price listing).
Assist with installation and de-installation of exhibitions at various Ro2 Art locations.
Handle and hang artworks both two-dimensional and three-dimensional.
Assist with hosting opening receptions, artist talks, and exhibitions open for the public to engage directly with artists.
Studio Assistant – The Bonny Studio, 2017- present
The Encaustic Center, The Bonny Studio, Richardson, Texas
Currently serve as an on-call assistant and attendant for classes and workshops in both painting and encaustic for artist Bonny Leibowitz.
File and consolidate business/financial paperwork for The Bonny Studio, The Encaustic Center, and Bonny's personal art practice.
Organize and document inventory for all three businesses as well.
Help set up and clean the various studio spaces and materials for classes and workshops.
Intern – Dallas Art Fair, April 2019
Fashion Industry Gallery, Dallas, Texas
Assisted with organizing participating gallerists with their respective paperwork, booths, and artists.
Directed visitors and gallery associates around the Fair.
Welcomed photographers, collectors, and members of the press into the fair for an official press conference.
Served as an assistant to the visiting galleries for any issues that arose as well as any questions they had.
Sculpture Assistant – Abilene Christian University, 2015-2018
ACU’s Art & Design Department, Abilene, Texas
Served as a sculpture assistant for bronze Storybook Sculptures ordered by the city of Abilene, Texas, which has been recognized by Texas legislature as ‘The Storybook Capital of America’.
Collaborated directly on bronze castings with master metal-caster and ACU’s associate sculpture professor, Geoff Broderick.
Facilitated the casting process with the setting and cleaning up of sculpture materials and processes.
ShapeAided in the chemical coloring process of patina and transported the sculptures through work areas.
Professional Development
Sculptor – Sloss Furnaces, 2017
National Conference on Cast Iron Art and Practices, Birmingham, Alabama
Represented ACU's sculpture department, as a participating sculptor, amongst hundreds of colleges/universities that came out to the conference.
Collaborated with Baylor and UT Corpus Christi to assemble the iron furnace and prepare the necessary materials for the iron pouring process.
Provided direct assistance throughout the iron pour and ensured the cleanup of all related materials.
Sculptor – Narrow Gate Foundation, 2015
Steel Forging Workshop, Franklin, Tennessee
Aided ACU's sculpture department with the bronze pouring process.
Fabricated a sculpture using steel forging and bronze casting.
Familiarized fellow students with wax molding, ceramic shell molds, and the chasing/forging of steel and bronze.
Creative Director's Assistant – Momentis International, 2015
Plano, Texas
Aided with the composition and design of images and vector icons using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Compiled and presented source materials for company's branding, web, mobile and print presence.
ShapeContributed to and wrote copy-write materials for websites and promotional campaigns.
Exhibitions
2018
Young, Done & Baroque, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
Intercollegiate Student Art Competition, Center for Contemporary Art, Abilene, TX
2017
Student Art Exhibition, The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
Intercollegiate Student Art Competition, Center for Contemporary Art, Abilene, TX
2016
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
Intercollegiate Student Art Competition, Center for Contemporary Art, Abilene, TX
2015
ACU Student Competition, Abilene Christian University’s Shore Gallery, Abilene, TX
2013
Collin County Student Art Show, Collin County Courthouse, Plano, TX
Allen ISD Art Exhibition, Allen High School’s Gallery, Allen, TX
